400 ON SOME POINTS IN THE ANATOMY OF PIGEONS, 



only finds fault with this, but insinuates that I was not aware 

 that these muscles " as Prof. Grarrocl has stated orer and over 

 again," are found in other birds. In place of adopting one of 

 Prof. Grarrod's views, it is made to appear that I have been 

 altogether overlooking his observations ! 



4. The special relation of the tendon of the ambiens (when 

 present) to the fibular head of the flexor perforatus secundus 

 tertii digiti. On this Dr. Gadow remarks — " The distal end of 

 the ambiens muscle, when typically developed, always forms the 

 continuation of one of the lieads of the m. perforatus dig. ii. et 

 iii.." This is, so far as my observations extend, quite correct. 

 How Dr. Gradow, if he has really read my paper and not merely 

 the summary, persuades himself that it contradicts my statement, 

 I am at a loss to understand. 



As a rule the fibres of the distal tendon of the ambiens become 

 broken up when they reach the upper portion of the leg, and 

 become scattered through the fleshy substance of the muscles 

 referred to. In the Pigeons the arrangement is peculiar in this, 

 that the distal tendon maintains its consistency and joins the 

 proximal tendon of the fibular head of the flexor perf . sec. tert. 

 dig., so that the whole might be regarded as an ilio-phalangeal 

 muscle with two bellies and the intermediate tendon united to 

 the fibula by a tendinous band, which is sometimes very slight. 

 It is perhaps a point on which too much w^eight might be laid, 

 but the myology of the various orders of birds is on the whole so 

 remarkably uniform that such a peculiarity is at least worthy of 

 being noted. 



5. The presence of lumbricales in the foot. Dr. Gadow's 

 remark on this point is as follows: — "The muscle which Mr. 

 Haswell takes to be the representative of the lumbricales muscles 

 of mammals has not " hitherto escaped the notice of Anatomists," 

 and it is not " peculiar to the Pigeons," since it is also present 

 in many other birds, e. g. the liatiice, and has been described by 



